Talking of the world, 

And the worlds within the world, 

The parallel worlds and the intersecting ones,

Timeless tales of time travellers, 

On paths regular and off the beaten,

To keep walking is our purpose, happiness our only goal,

Keep adding to our caravan, keep growing on our way,

Talking of the worlds, 

And the world beyond…

Far from the city hustles, Jamie was witnessing another paradox in the dense jungles. A beautiful river stream quietly passing by, in all its grace and calm. The scene seemed frozen in time as she stood by the bushes, mesmerised to the rhythmic sounds of chirping birds and waters following the same path and patterns. In awe she looked at something that was both flowing and still!

It was one of those paused moments in life when she glimpsed a reflection on the calm waters of her mind. As she saw the bigger picture, part of that moment was abrupt and spontaneous, yet still in sync with the natural flow of things. There was no rush, or stress, or need for any validation in that moment. And still everything was perfect, existing and working just fine with its own design. It was a tiny piece of the universe, a world within itself.

As the evening eventually turned in to night, she saw that change was the only constant. Still astonished by her experience of how everything was inter connected, even though things seemed isolated, but it was a joint exercise. Lying by her tent looking at the stars, she began to wonder about a cosmic analogy for the world beyond…

She tried to take a deep breath and take in as much of that moment as she could. It didn’t take her long to realise that whether good or bad, we have to let go of things in order to live. So, letting go of the breath, she carried that experience with her on her way back, to keep it forever.  

Back in her office, far from the jungles, Jamie was caught between the noises outside and those in her mind. Phones ringing, people chatting, cars honking, an ambulance siren in the distance, all happening at an inharmonious interval. Thoughts flying all around in her head, what would I eat for dinner, why isn’t John back with the update, I need to start doing yoga regularly, I am so hurt, Cassie shouldn’t have said that… 

Chime on her phone took away all of that for a moment and transported her into the virtual universe, news feeds, Insta posts, notifications, and she got in to reading an interesting news article… remembering after a while that she had actually picked up the phone to make an important call to her boss! 

Reflecting on the present-day world, it is unbelievable how we have forced ourselves to become with the changing times. Social media’s constant assault on our attention, as our attention span shrinks day by day, their warfare become more gruesome. Unaware, we are simply dragged into their game of stimulus and response, rewarded by our sense of instant gratification. 

Sitting in the cafeteria, drinking her favourite coffee, Jamie could see all this just as a scene frozen in time in the jungle. She realised that she did not have to be threatened by all the present-day intimidations. Because she knew she had a choice about what she wanted her environment to make of her. And that the power was with her. 

That she need not to allow so much dependence on everyday things to control her brain chemicals. That her original intelligence need not be terrorised by artificial intelligence. Because everything can be figured out, she always has. With this realisation and awareness of being an observer, she could do things with more freedom. To choose her motivations and priorities right, for there is a new realm of possibility in every moment, all that is required is awareness, and will.

Author Rishabh Shah, MFN Trainer and Head of 

Operations of Daksha: rishabh.shah@daksha.net